As Terrence Hill Jr. stepped back and launched a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in overtime, his No. 11 VCU teammates and coaches all looked up in hopes their comeback was worth it in the end.
The ball fell through the hoop, and the Rams officially erased a 19-point deficit to the North Carolina Tar Heels, stunning the No. 6 seed with an 82-78 overtime victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
UNC couldn’t fathom what transpired on the court in Greenville, South Carolina, as they held their destiny in their hands in the second half when they took a 19-point lead with 15 minutes remaining in the game.
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But, with 11 seconds left and free throws missed left and right for the Tar Heels, Hill poured in a layup that tied the game at 75 apiece.
If only Seth Trimble’s steal with 2.9 left on the regulation clock resulted in a game-winning three-pointer, which never touched the rim despite a solid look at the net, the Tar Heels would’ve let out a big sigh of relief.
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Instead, they went 0-for-7 in extra time, though the game remained close with VCU also failing to hit their shots as well. It wasn’t until 2:08 left in overtime when Nyk Lewis finally got a tough layup to go to take a 77-75 lead.
Trimble would tie it back up after being fouled, and he almost had a three-point play when his layup just rimmed out after being fouled with 35 seconds left on the clock. However, he was only able to hit one of his two attempts at the charity stripe, leaving the door open for VCU to take the lead with a bucket.
Hill, who tallied 34 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including 7-of-10 from three, didn’t miss his mark when the Rams needed it most.
Still, the job wasn’t finished, as Henri Veesaar was fouled in the lane on the other end and sent to the line for two free throws. With an 80-78 deficit, he had the perfect chance to tie it up, but he missed the first attempt. That was the end for the Tar Heels, as they hung their heads when the clock hit zero.
It was VCU’s first NCAA Tournament game win since 2016, and they needed to shoot 62% from the field in the second half, including 7-of-10 from three, to post a 47-36 score across those 20 minutes to force overtime.
While High Point’s thrilling win over Wisconsin was the upset of the day to that point in the first round, VCU’s took the prize after one day of action in March Madness.
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